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It’s the time of the year for festive costumes,
endless candy, spooky jack-o-lanterns, and creepy decorations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is
reminding everyone to take a few simple precautions to keep Halloween safe and
enjoyable.

“Just about everyone loves a good scare on
Halloween, but not when it comes to safety,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice
president of Outreach and Advocacy. “Costumes with billowing or long trailing
fabric and candle decorations should be avoided to keep fun events from turning
into tragedies.”

From 2006-2010, decorations
were the first item ignited in an estimated average of 1,000 reported home
structure fires per year, resulting in an average six civilian deaths, 53
civilian injuries and $16 million in direct property damage.

From 2006-2010, U. S. fire departments responded to
an estimated 11,640 home structure fires that were started by candles. These
fires caused 126 deaths, 953 injuries, and $438 million in direct property
damage.

When
choosing a costume, stay away from billowing or long trailing fabric. If
you are making your own costume, choose material that won't easily ignite
if it comes into contact with heat or flame. If your child is wearing a
mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough so they can see out.

Provide
children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of
their costume.

Dried
flowers, cornstalks, and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and
other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources,
including light bulbs and heaters.

It is safest to use a
flashlight or battery-operated candles in a jack-o-lantern. If you use a
real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are watched at all
times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns,
use long fireplace-style matches or a utility lighter. Be sure to place
lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and far away from
trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, walkways, and yards.

If you choose to use candle
decorations, make sure to keep them well attended at all times.

Tell
children to stay away from open flames. Be sure they know how to stop,
drop and roll if their clothing catches fire. (Have them practice stopping
immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with hands, and
rolling over and over to put the flames out.)

Use flashlights as alternatives
to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards. They are
much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the
lighting.